Book Review: My Name is Sally Little Song

My Name is Sally Little Song.  By Brenda Woods.  Puffin Books, 2006.  182 pages.  $6.99, ISBN 978-0-14-240943-5.

Grades Fourth through Sixth.

            “Runnin’ fast/ No lookin’ back/ Runnin hard/ Gotta keep on/Bleedin’ feet/ No never mind” chants twelve year old Sally May Harrison. In 1802 Waycross, Georgia, Sally works contently alongside the rest of the slaves on the plantation.  She has no idea how soon her life will change as her family takes on the designation of Runaway slaves; preventing the sale by the Master of Sally and her brother.  Sally also does not comprehend just how much she herself will change if the Harrisons make it to Florida and the Seminole Indians.  Written from the point of view of Sally May, fourth through sixth graders will experience the heroine’s life as a slave, her journey through the Okeefenokee Swamp, and her struggle to assimilate to life as part of an Indian tribe; questioning whether she is ready to transition from slave Sally May Harrison to Seminole Sally Little Song.  Rich, highly descriptive first person text brings the setting of 1800’s Florida to life in a way that will encourage both native Floridian children and transplants alike to understand the role of the Seminoles in the hiding of runaway slaves in Northern Florida.  Young readers will also realize the fear that Sally felt as she encounters unfamiliar wildlife typical to Florida swamps, leading to the death of her beloved mother through Sally’s short little songs recounted each chapter: “Pa got courage/ He so brave/ Him by my side/ I feel safe.”  This child’s narrative is the perfect choice for fourth graders learning Florida History, pondering the melding of cultures which together make the residents of their home state.  Students will also be inspired to look deeper into their own family history and consider how they made Florida their home.